The invention concerns a computer system for text translation, comprising memory means in which words and their associated translations are stored. The invention also concerns a method of text translation with the help of a computer system.
Text translation systems are known wherein a computer system proposes translations of single text words to a translator. In such equipment, the stored translations of the various text words are read by the computer system from the memory means and displayed, for example, on a screen to the translator. The translator may use the proposed translations but is still forced to combine them in the form of a translated text. Thus, the text translation system is a translator tool for the preparation of translations.
Text translation systems are also being marketed or under development which are aimed at fully automatic translation. In such text translation systems, the computer itself, following predetermined translation rules, also combines the translations read from memory to generate a translated text.
In both cases, it is essential to store the entire vocabulary of the source language along with the associated translations of the target language in the memory means. Where German is the source language of the text translation system, there is, regardless of the target language, the problem of entering the entire range of German compounds, i.e. any compound words of the German language, into the memory means. This necessitates storing not only the words "Tier", "Schutz", "Verein" but also compounds such as "Tierschutz", "Tierschutzverein", "Vereinskasse", "Schutzhuelle", etc. Consequently, only large computer systems with extensive memory means could be used as text translation systems, which in turn would lead to relatively slow processing speeds of the text translation system, as the entire memory means would have to be searched for each word to be translated. Finally, such a text translation system would be liable to errors, as the German language frequently produces new compounds which would then have to be stored in the memory means.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a text translation system which allows a fully automatic and correct translation of German compounds also on small computer systems.